One of the cornerstones of a happy and harmonious family is its ability to successfully make good decisions that impact the group. More important than that, it is critical to get all family members to buy into the decisions once they are made. Whether you are deciding on your next outing, what time your son needs to have his homework done, or when your daughter needs to be home from a date the decision process is critical.

No matter how you think your family works, kids and adults both care about the decision making process. In order for there to be buy-in, peace and support in your family the decision process must ultimately be perceived as fair.

Fairness is obviously a matter of who is making the determination, and so there are no set rules. But over the years I have found that decisions that are perceived as fair have some common traits.

First everyone impacted by the decision must believe they have had a real opportunity to contribute to the decision. Many fights and struggles in families start because a decision was made without one of the members playing. How many times do you hear